Overlooked early children's comics

[abacus]

My hobby is collecting old comics , magazines, old books( victorian for example)and annuals .
usually spending an average of £2 per week with a limit of £5.
I could spend more but for me this is just a fun loose change type hobby.
I tend to overlook nursery comics but these shown from the 1959/60s I found in a charity shop
priced 3 for a £1.
These small pocket books are well produced with fine artwork .

[Adam Eterno]

My hobby is collecting old comics , magazines, old books( victorian for example)and annuals .
usually spending an average of £2 per week with a limit of £5.
I could spend more but for me this is just a fun loose change type hobby.
I tend to overlook nursery comics but these shown from the 1959/60s I found in a charity shop
priced 3 for a £1.
These small pocket books are well produced with fine artwork .

I came across these at the back end of last year when I found the #1 of the "New Series" on Ebay. Delightful artwork and so "sweet". My #1 is dated from 1958 so over 60 years old now! I'm not sure when the original series ran from and to?

[Kashgar]

The original series Sunny Stories for Little Folk was first published in 1926 and was edited by Enid Blyton who also contributed to the content. It became Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories in 1937 until she left the publication in 1953.

[Phoenix]

Enid Blyton had criticism coming at her from all sides throughout most of her professional life for writing short stories, plays, and novels, which offered no intellectual challenge whatsoever. However, the fact of the matter is that she penned some very good stories and series. Many librarians were not at all keen on having any of her works in their library, but as children did want to borrow them, they felt obliged to buy them in. I can still read her novels with pleasure, although not too frequently, my favourites being the 'Five' series (I have the first ten with their dustwrappers, but I've read more), the 'Adventure' series (I have all eight, also with near-pristine dustwrappers), the 'Naughtiest Girl' series (I have the three novels in one volume), the 'St. Clares' series and the 'Malory Towers' series. I'm not much of a fan of the 'Secret Seven' series, mainly I suspect because I never read those as a child. For the most part though, the novels draw you in, and talking about drawing, I just love Eileen Soper's illustrations, which are definitive really because when we think of Julian, or George Kirrin for example, we see them as Eileen drew them. I may already have mentioned that about three weeks ago I bought two Blyton Armada paperbacks that I had never previously heard of in an antique shop in Penzance, The Family At Red-Roofs, and House-At-The-Corner. They didn't cost much. Mind you, I haven't started to read them yet. Nor have I ever played 'The Famous Five' card game, its cards still pristine in a pristine box, and I've had that since childhood. Not to worry. Lets hear it for Green Hedges!!!!!!!!

[abacus]

Talking of Enid Blyton I found the Big Enid Blyton Book at a car boot sale a couple of years ago containing a variety of many of her short stories, I bought it to get a flavour of the varied work she produced.
I have it stored somewhere but looking around yesterday failed to find it.
I seem to recall a documentary programme on tv some while back where some criticism had been made about the enormous amount of work she produced, implying that she would have needed other writers helping her to produce that amount of work.

You will always find critics , occasionally constructive but usually destructive.I recently read an article which said out of every 10 people, 2 people will never be happy with you, whatever you do.
What is that saying ?'You can please some of the people----------'.

[abacus]

Many children's comics have free gifts and as you know collectors like to keep these gifts intact, but I'm not so sure this is always wise.
Around 2017 I bought the 1997 comic shown from a charity shop so as you can see it was quite old when I bought it.
It had sweets as the free gift and these were still attached.
As the years pass it will have to be a bush tucker trial for anyone who cares to eat them.

[Phoenix]

the 'St. Clares' series and the 'Malory Towers' series.

I did not make it clear that unlike my collection of the 'Five' novels and the 'Adventure' series, which are all hardbacks with dustwrappers, my complete 'St. Clares' series and my 'Malory Towers' series are all in paperback format. The prices being asked on eBay for the hardbacks at the time were quite a bit higher than my budget would stretch to. Now that I can afford them, there is no real point in buying them because my paperbacks will presumably have the same number of words, and in the same order.

[abacus]

the 'St. Clares' series and the 'Malory Towers' series.

I did not make it clear that unlike my collection of the 'Five' novels and the 'Adventure' series, which are all hardbacks with dustwrappers, my complete 'St. Clares' series and my 'Malory Towers' series are all in paperback format. The prices being asked on eBay for the hardbacks at the time were quite a bit higher than my budget would stretch to. Now that I can afford them, there is no real point in buying them because my paperbacks will presumably have the same number of words, and in the same order.

Do I detect Morecambe and Wise in that last sentence?Your collection of Enid Blyton books sounds great and those with original wrappers must be worth something.

[Phoenix]

Do I detect Morecambe and Wise in that last sentence?

Yes. I was wondering whether anyone would pick up on it, though I think Eric's actual words were "not necessarily in the right order".

[Phoenix]

Your collection of Enid Blyton books sounds great and those with original wrappers must be worth something.

I'm sure they are worth quite a few bob, abacus. I'm equally sure that my two sons will sell them, and my entire collection of story papers, on eBay at roughly the same time as they will ring Ray Moore to inform him of my sad demise, and to ask him to inform all my friends and acquaintances here on Al's great platform. I'm naturally hoping that these events are a good while off yet. Anyway, I've got to shoot off now to pick Lois up from school. She'll be pleased to see me because a) it's p***ing down b) she enjoys our chats in the car, and c) it's Friday, or to put it another way, pocket money day. I give the two children £5 a week on Fridays, which doesn't even make a dent in my pension, but it certainly suits them. They will have to come out with me and Russ to the Copperhouse tonight as Rach is working.

[Phoenix]

They will have to come out with me and Russ to the Copperhouse tonight as Rach is working.

It turned out that Rach wasn't working tonight so the children stayed at home. Russ and I had a couple of pints each in the Copperhouse, and talked about the children briefly before moving on to the more important question of a new car for me. I would prefer a newer Jaguar but Russ is trying to persuade me to buy a BMW. As he works in the motor trade, and drives a BMW himself when Rach doesn't need it, and one of his campers when she does, he would easily be able to source one for me, and have it thoroughly checked out and MOTd. As I understand his thinking, it would be a straightforward part exchange. I would nevertheless prefer an S-type Jaguar rather than the X-type I am driving at the moment, and definitely rather than a BMW, but I might just have to wait a while.